Tapestry of Decay
by Lotus Butterfly
Summary: Not long after killing a strange creature, Nero begins acting strangely. What exactly was that demon? What did it do to him? And why does this mysterious pain keep getting stronger? Rated M for language and mild gore.
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first story since coming back to this site. I haven't been writing much in the time I've been gone, so I may be a bit rusty, we'll see how it goes._

**A/N: **This story was brought about by a combination of: my inability to stop thinking, getting up WAY too early on a day off and ending up with a LOT of time to kill, and my mild form of dementia brought about by a lifetime of insomnia

**Warnings:** Disturbing imagery, bad language, possible mentions of gore, possible yaoi (though it'll be mild), and excessive use of metaphors and repetitive words (let's all break out our thesauruses, shall we?)

**Dedications:** I dedicate this entire fic (in all it's suckiness) to Alvara19, Flowing Tears, and Pushka. You guys are without a doubt, THE BEST DxN writers on this site. No joke. I'm a big fan and in no way expect to be as good or better than you.

**Little Fact: **The title of this story is actually a song by Nox Arcana. I...couldn't come up with anything myself v.v; I...guess it sort of fits.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1: Infect

* * *

"C'mon kid, watch what you're doing!"

"I got it already!"

Nero rolled his eyes as he turned to block an incoming strike from one of the bladed demons that had managed to get behind him with Red Queen. He and Dante had been sitting around bored at the Devil May Cry office when they finally got a call about someone suspecting a demon in a nearby area, their only lead being 'inhuman' sounds. The young hunter snorted at that even now as he cut the small, black creature in half, leaping out of the range of the ripe smelling insides that spilled out as it fell to pieces before evaporating. In his opinion, humans made 'inhuman' sounds if the circumstances were right. Besides, it was probably just some wild animal.

He was sure Dante believed that too, but with nothing else pressing to do, they'd taken the mission. And the instant they made it to the abandoned building that must've once been a warehouse of some kind, several lower-level demons had come up out of the ground as if waiting for them.

Dante had been ecstatic at a real job, even if it was small and the pay particularly lousy. But then, he suspected that Dante had low standards when he was bored.

What really annoyed him was the fact that Dante seemed convinced he couldn't do this devil hunting business right. No matter how good a fighter he was. The elder slayer was always shouting insults his way, taunting Nero and constantly finding reasons to berate him on the battle field…and he wondered why Nero ended up injured on missions nine times out of ten? If the old man would shut his mouth, he might be able to concentrate properly.

And of course, Dante did everything effortlessly, with flair and sarcasm all around. It was enough to make Nero growl in frustration every time he thought about it.

Once the weaker demons had been killed, both hunters paused to take stock of the building they'd been fighting outside of. Roughly two stories, it looked to be falling apart from the outside, broken windows that were half boarded up, a rusty door that was hanging off its hinges. The whole aura of the place was decrepit and depressing.

"Is this really it? Why do demons think it's necessary to infest such shitholes?" Nero wondered aloud as he placed his sword on his back, walking towards the door, tentatively pushing it open with a finger and peering through the crack at the inside. It was dark.

"I don't know. Maybe they do it just to piss you off, kid." Dante answered as he came up behind him, making the younger grit his teeth and swallow the snarky comeback already forming.

Instead he kicked the door open, consequently breaking the squeaky hinges barely clinging to it and sending the rusted metal crashing to the floor. He didn't care that it was hardly subtle or the sound of the door hitting the concrete floor echoed in the large, empty space. Save for a few cobwebs and abandoned, rotting boxes, the place was empty. Even the air was stale and musty.

"Well I don't see anything. If we came out here for just those things out there then I'm—"

"You'll what, kid? Be mad? I'll say." Dante interrupted with a laugh, sauntering past the younger man and looking around the dim interior, Rebellion resting casually on his shoulder. "Hmm…though I have to say, this place is a bit dreary."

"It looks like your place." Nero muttered, ignoring the raised eyebrow sent his way at that, turning to walk further into the building and look around. They were already here, might as well check to see if anymore demons were around…or maybe find the feral cat or whatever was making those sounds.

Dante didn't say anything for once as they both quartered and searched the entire building. They started in the far corners and ended up meeting in the middle, neither coming up with anything, but before they could speak, something heavy began shuffling over their heads.

Two pairs of blue eyes lifted slowly to the wooden beams over them, watching as dust fell down on them as something up there moved around.

And just as they were backing up from each other slowly to try and get a better look, a large shadow suddenly fell to the ground between them, both hunters not even getting a chance to inspect it before an ear-splitting shriek filled the room, both Dante and Nero backing up further and covering their ears at the grating sound.

Nero grunted as he squeezed his eyes shut, as if that would dull the sound that didn't seem to end. When it did, he almost didn't trust that he hadn't just gone deaf, slowly opening an eye as he lowered his hands tentatively, able to see Dante doing the same as the large shadow between them shifted and started to stand, eventually blocking the elder slayer from view.

Standing to its full height, the creature was nearly a head taller than him, taking a step closer as Nero lifted his right arm, the light cast by his devil bringer allowing him to see most of the thing's features. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen anything uglier. The demon had dull red eyes, its skin a sickening pale blue and black, almost like a walking corpse. In fact, it looked almost entirely human, which disturbed the younger man. Its back was slightly hunched over, its body so frail and thin looking that he could see all its individual bones poking through. Nero wasn't sure why, but he found the most odd thing about this demon not its lack of attacking immediately, or its appearance of a person, but the way it appeared to have a potbelly, the abdomen distended and round like it swallowed a beach-ball.

Nero heard Dante whistle low. "Wow, now there is someone to win the ugly award."

He had to agree, broken out of his staring stupor when the demon suddenly shuddered after Dante spoke, lifting its too large hands up and covering its distorted face, shivering as if it were freezing before it shrieked again.

Whatever it was, it was noisy and neither appreciated the greeting.

Both hunters drew their weapons as the second scream filled the warehouse, the crack of firing bullets joining it until the whole area was deafeningly loud. The three currently in the fray didn't seem to care, however, as the demon suddenly leapt away, landing clear across the room. Nero glanced over at Dante who had a stupid grin spreading over his face. Great…the old man was starting to think this ugly fucker was challenging him. This wouldn't end well.

"Hey kid…dinner's on whoever cuts off Mister Ugly's head. You in?" the devil hunter in red asked.

Nero snorted and didn't openly say that he was in…they both knew that he wouldn't turn down a challenge. Especially not from Dante.

Both drew their swords and ran at the demon from either side, the battle that ensued was surprisingly difficult. For all its awkward proportions and stumbling, the demon was fast and seemed to only get angry whenever one of them landed a blow. Dante was clearly loving it, but Nero was getting annoyed that he could barely land a superficial hit before the demon was across the warehouse again. But if he lost, then he'd never hear the end of it. Revving Red Queen, Nero leapt at the demon again, anticipating it dodging and reaching out with his devil bringer to stop it, glowing talons wrapping around a thin leg and yanking it back towards him. He hesitated to deliver a blow, however, as he felt the frail bone snap in his grip and he dropped his sword to cover his ears when the demon shrieked again, louder than before if possible. It probably didn't help that it was right in his face this time.

It was close enough that he felt the rush of air as it screamed, could smell its rancid, cold breath, hear its skin and bones creaking as they struggled to support the awkward weight of its middle when there was no muscle on the damn thing's body.

So why, when it suddenly grabbed him, could Nero not break free?

He dimly heard Dante call his name, but was trapped by the dull red eyes boring into his own. For some reason, in that split second that passed like minutes, he was all but hypnotized by the demon, and he swore he saw…pain behind those eyes. Desperation. As if it almost WANTED to die…but survival forced it to fight. Nero's lips parted slightly at the thought and blue eyes widened when a small, wispy cloud of black smoke suddenly seeped from the demon's mouth and misted over his face, making him shudder and begin coughing violently at the stench, the sensation of something he could only suspect was the cold of death brushed over him, slipping into his mouth on a strained inhale. He struggled weakly, but didn't get a chance to free himself, as suddenly the world came back into real time.

A loud shot rang out, everything going still enough Nero could hear a single shell casing from a bullet ringing as it bounced off the floor. Black pupil expanded to engulf dull red and the demon let go of him and fell heavily to the ground, black blood pooling behind its head an instant before it slowly disintegrated, blue-black skin melting off fragile bones, the rounded belly popping like an oversized pimple and oozing into the cracks of the concrete.

And God, if Nero thought it stank before…

"Kid!"

Nero blinked as he felt someone shaking his shoulder roughly, looking up from the disgusting, yet fascinating sight of the dead demon to see Dante standing next to him, the elder looking almost concerned as he stared at him. "Huh?" _Genius, Nero._

"You alright?" Dante asked, gripping his shoulder tightly before letting go and taking a small step back to inspect the younger for any injury. Nero seemed out of it, but other than that, he was unharmed. Relieved, the older slayer immediately started to tease his younger counterpart. "Ha, guess I win."

Nero shook himself slightly at that and his usual fiery glare was directed at the devil hunter. "Yeah right. You said winner was the one who cut off its head. You shot it. It doesn't count."

"Yeah, but you got stupid and let it grab you. I had to act fast and you were across the room." Dante improvised. "So you have to pay a 'stupid kid' fee. You're buying dinner."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, old man."

Dante laughed at that defeated response and started to walk back out the open doorway that was now lacking a door. Nero paused to look to where the demon had fallen again, seeing nothing but a black stain on the concrete. For some reason, he got a chill and rubbed absently at the armored knuckles of his right hand, still feeling the weak bone snapping against his fingers. He'd ripped demons apart before…why did this one broken bone stick with him? Maybe because it looked so human and pathetic he felt bad….

"Come on, kid, I'm getting hungry! Move it before I charge a late fee too!" Dante called, snapping Nero out of his thoughts once again.

Nero huffed at that before heading towards the door, deciding to put the demon and the weird connection he'd seemed to make with it when it grabbed him for that split second in time out of his mind, running his tongue over his teeth as he found a bitter taste forming in the back of his mouth.

* * *

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

_Three days, three reviews. I find this satisfactory and shall update. I actually have a system of writing and will only update a chapter if I have the next two already written_

**Warnings:** Disturbing imagery, bad language, possible mentions of gore, possible yaoi (though it'll be mild), and excessive use of metaphors and repetitive words (let's all break out our thesauruses, shall we?)

**Dedications:** I dedicate this entire fic (in all it's suckiness) to Alvara19, Flowing Tears, and Pushka. You guys are without a doubt, THE BEST DxN writers on this site. No joke. I'm a big fan and in no way expect to be as good or better than you.

**Disclaimer: **I forgot this last time, but I do not own Devil May Cry or its characters.

Thank you those who reviewed. Hope you enjoy this next installment!

* * *

Chapter 2: Inside

* * *

After collecting their meager pay from the person who'd called about the demon dubbed 'Mister Ugly' by Dante, the two hunters returned home to the devil hunting office. Nero had to make one more comment about how Devil May Cry was barely a step up from that warehouse they'd been in earlier, making Dante frown and then counter with, "at least I didn't get frenched by Mister Ugly."

Consequently, Nero slammed the car door, then the door to the office, and stomped all the way to the fridge to get something to drink, finally settling on just plain tap water, since the taste in his mouth was bad enough without adding beer to the mix.

He gulped down almost four glasses before he heard Dante ordering his usual pizza and sighed to himself. He wouldn't mind being the one to pay…if Dante didn't somehow manage to make him pay _every_ time.

Nero filled the glass to the top again, staring into the clear liquid as his smacked his lips, swallowing forcefully, barely keeping from shuddering. Every time he swallowed, his stomach twisted at the god-awful taste that seemed determined to linger in his mouth. The water helped only when he was in the middle of drinking it, and it didn't seem to be washing the taste away. He tried gargling a bit, but that didn't work either.

Finally leaving the kitchen to go drop onto one of the couches, Nero tried his best to ignore it, absently still sipping at his water.

"Pizza'll be here in a bit," Dante said with satisfaction, stretching his arms over his head, his trademark red coat hanging off the back of his chair where he sat behind his desk. Nero didn't even have to count to three before the elder propped his feet up onto the messy surface. The younger man tried to keep the place as clean as he could, but Dante was determined to live up to his armpits in trash from sheer laziness. The man was only good at two things: killing demons and eating pizza.

Nero just grunted at Dante's words and quickly drained what was left in his glass before getting up to compulsively get more water. After he sat down again, the glass was already half empty.

"Thirsty, kid?"

"Huh?" _Again, genius Nero._

"How much water have you had already? You planning on having your bladder explode?"

He just sent Dante a 'really?' glare. "You're so immature…and you say _I'm_ the kid," he muttered in his cup as he finished the water.

On his way to get more once again, the pizza arrived and he deviated from his path to the kitchen to answer and pay…because he couldn't just hand Dante the money. No. He had to go answer the door, pay, get the pizza, and bring it to the lazy older man.

This time however, Nero paid, got the pizza, and took it into the kitchen with him as he finally got to get some more water. He smirked as he heard Dante shout after him and then a chair scraped across the floor. The younger hunter innocently sipped at his water as he quickly pulled the pizza box Dante came to claim out of reach.

Dante growled and finally managed to get his food. "And you say I'm immature?"

Nero just shrugged and refilled his glass.

"Eh, well for pulling one on me, I shouldn't let you have any, but you paid, so you get at least one piece. Let's eat." Dante said lightly as he turned to leave the kitchen. At first, Nero followed, but paused as he swallowed and felt his stomach knot up tighter at the horrible taste. It was…bitter and burned the back of his throat, almost like bile.

"Actually, old man, I'm not really hungry." He said quietly, setting his empty glass down on the desk before turning for the stairs. "I'm going to bed early. Just don't eat so much that you get a stomach as big as Mister Ugly's."

Dante laughed at that as he happily pulled a piece of pizza out of the box. "You sure?"

"Yeah. Just don't have much of an appetite."

"No wonder, you drank nearly half the city's water within fifteen minutes." The older teased as he took a bite.

Nero flipped him off as he started up the stairs as his comeback, ignoring how Dante just laughed again as he made his way up to his room, slowly going through the motions of stripping down to his boxers and flopping onto his bed, frowning into his pillow. After moving in with the older slayer, he'd managed to make the spare room livable, though there was barely room for his bed and a small dresser for his clothes…not that he had a lot of them.

The bad taste in his mouth coupled with an uncomfortably bloated sensation from drinking so much water at once, and Nero found it rather difficult to get comfortable, rolling around on his bed before finally settling in enough to drift off.

_His heart pounded in his head, his entire body throbbing, aching from top to bottom. He looked around, but couldn't see anything but darkness. He tried running, but his legs wouldn't hold him and he fell, barely able to catch himself with his hands, staring wide-eyed at the black ground, starting to tremble. A bone-deep chill fell over him and he shivered violently._

_Lifting his head, Nero tried once more to see in the darkness, tried calling out, but though his mouth moved, no sound came out. He grabbed at his throat, wondering why it wouldn't work when suddenly that taste that had been plaguing him flooded his mouth and he gagged, trying to spit it out, going so far as to shove fingers into his mouth as if to wipe out the disgusting flavor._

_Heat suddenly broke through the chill over his body, centering in his abdomen and spreading out. Nero released a silent scream as the heat turned to white-hot pain, stabbing through him until it felt as if something was ripping him apart from the inside, pressing a hand to his stomach only to feel something rippling and moving under the surface. _

_Leaning back on his knees, he stared down in horror as his middle started to distend until it was as round as the demon's, the pain unbearable as he clawed at the stretched skin with his devil bringer, the blue talons raking across and drawing blood, causing whatever was inside to start thrashing in him more violently, only making the pain worse. He cried out silently for someone to help him, for anything to make it stop As he watched, a single point pushed out further on his stomach before it suddenly ruptured in a spray of red._

Nero awoke with a choked scream, bolting upright in bed, both hands immediately pressing against his stomach as he looked down at himself, panting heavily. His stomach was normal, pale skin stretched over flat muscle. He let out a shaking sigh, raking his human hand through his sweat-soaked hair, looking around the dim morning light filtering into his room. That was one of the most realistic nightmares he'd ever had. He'd felt everything as if it had been real.

Groaning, he rubbed at his face and started to lay back down when his stomach clenched and twisted. Nero gasped and rolled out of bed, yanking open the door and darting for the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before he knelt down and threw up what little was left in him from breakfast the day before.

He rested his head in his hand after he'd finished, still shuddering. Vomiting had only made the horrible taste in his mouth worse and he was quickly gaining a headache from that nightmare.

Shaking his head, Nero finally made to stand up, wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand as he reached to flush away the evidence…only to pause and stare in horror as he saw what had just come out of him.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Please review**


	3. Chapter 3

_I keep racking in the 98-100 scores in my class, so as celebration, I'll upload this next chapter even though I haven't finished chapter 5 (it's a work in progress, don't worry)_

**A/N:** This story is only going to be six chapters long. Yes short, but to the point. Any longer and I would get distracted from the plot. Perhaps my next story will slowly work its way to be longer, that's my goal anyway. Plus, this story is special to me, as what I'm putting Nero through, I went through myself (though obviously it wasn't caused by a demon) but hey, we all draw inspiration from daily life, right? Write what you know, that's what I was taught.

Also...my cat reminds me WAY too much of Dante...which is odd, because Star is a girl...oh well, who says female cats can't be perverted gluttons with attitude who talk too much?

**Warnings:** Disturbing imagery, bad language, possible mentions of gore, possible yaoi (though it'll be mild), and excessive use of metaphors and repetitive words (let's all break out our thesauruses, shall we?)

**Dedications:** I dedicate this entire fic (in all it's suckiness) to Alvara19, Flowing Tears, and Pushka. You guys are without a doubt, THE BEST DxN writers on this site. No joke. I'm a big fan and in no way expect to be as good or better than you.

**Disclaimer: **Devil May Cry and its characters do not belong to me.

Thank you so much to those of you who have reviewed! You keep me inspired!

* * *

Chapter 3: Burn

* * *

Nero swallowed compulsively as he stared down at the thick, shiny black substance that had just come out of him, completely ignoring the sour taste lingering on his tongue. Heart hammering, he rubbed at his lips, looking down at the gray smudge on his fingertips. Rushing over to the sink, he spit, eyes trained on the thin trail of black streaking down towards the drain.

After several minutes of attempting to be sure he wasn't still dreaming and that the strange, oily liquid did in fact come from him, Nero quickly rinsed his mouth, the sink, and finally flushed the toilet, rushing out of the bathroom back to his bedroom. He had to control the urge to slam the door, managing to close it quietly instead.

Pressing his back to the door for a moment, eyes closed, Nero tried to calm himself enough to think straight. Not thinking about how he'd just thrown up sludge and the taste in his mouth that wouldn't go away that was worse than ever was easier said than done, but panic wasn't going to help him make sense of it all.

A quiet sigh left him. He considered telling Dante about what just happened, but quickly took that thought back. Not only would the older man not wake up this early, but he'd probably just give him more crap about letting something get him sick.

That made him pause. Was it that strange demon they fought yesterday? He remembered it grabbing him and…that strange mist on his face…did it poison him?

If that was true, then maybe in a few days his demonic healing would clean him out. Relaxing at that conclusion, Nero rubbed his face and grabbed a change of clothes. He hesitated a moment before leaving his room and heading back to the bathroom, studiously avoiding looking anywhere near the toilet, deciding to have a shower and get on with his day. Hopefully he'd feel better tomorrow. Maybe even later today. Maybe he'd purged himself just now and that was what that black crap was.

_Just get through the day and don't worry about it._ Nero told himself silently.

The rest of the day passed rather normally. If Nero ignored the fact that his mouth tasted like he'd gargled garbage, he could say that he felt absolutely fine, which furthered his belief that whatever HAD been wrong with him was gone now. Most of the hours were spent killing time in-between the several calls they received. Not all of them about demons of course. And Dante promptly ignored those, which made Nero wonder how in the hell he could get away with the way he ran his business.

One particular call came later in the afternoon, it was relatively close-by, and the pay seemed sufficient enough to satisfy the older slayer, so the two packed up their usual weapons and went. Finding a nest of demons in the process.

They weren't difficult to kill, but the sheer number of them squatting in the outskirts of the city and running cars off the road made the task a bit tedious. Tedious meant Dante grew bored. And when Dante grew bored, he'd taunt Nero. Who would in turn grow frustrated and throw a fit, which always amused and entertained the older man.

Right in the middle of killing another black, scaled dog-like creature, Nero paused as he felt…something off. Forgetting about the fact that he was in the middle of a fight, the younger slayer lowered his sword and pressed his demonic hand against his middle, frowning at the faint burning ache in his stomach.

"Kid!"

Nero snapped out of his thoughts and looked up just in time to see one of the demons coming right for him, oversized jaws nearly snapping on his head, only to have Dante appear and kick the damn thing off course, making it yelp.

"Damn it, kid, where's your head?" Dante huffed before he whipped out Ebony and Ivory to quickly finish off the stunned demon.

Nero was about to throw in a comeback, but stopped as he noticed that they were once more being surrounded by the creatures and forced his mind away from the empty, almost gnawing sensation in his stomach, brushing it off as just being hungry. After all, he hadn't eaten yesterday.

Nero came downstairs after his cold shower, silently cursing the older man for taking one first and using all the hot water as he absently rubbed a towel through his hair, his free hand pressed against his stomach again. That empty, burning ache was only getting worse, so he was glad the water was cold so the shower was quick. So he could get something to eat before Dante downed all the pizza he knew the elder would order.

He crossed the floor to Dante's desk where the older slayer had his feet propped up and a magazine in front of his face. Nero raised an eyebrow at the familiar position before looking down to the already half eaten pizza, shoulders slumping as what little appetite he might've had suddenly shrank and disappeared altogether, leaving him feeling sick and full again.

Dante peeked over the top of his magazine to see Nero standing on the other side of the desk, staring down at the open pizza box despondently, human hand pressed tightly against his middle. "…you okay kid?" he asked, making the young man jolt slightly, as if he had forgotten anyone else was in the room.

"Huh? Oh…yeah…guess I'm just not hungry." He said dismissively, shrugging as he turned and headed back towards the stairs. "Guess I'll turn in early."

Dante frowned as he watched Nero slowly trudge up the stairs, putting his feet back on the floor and leaning against his desk. Something was up with the kid. That was the second day in a row Nero refused to eat. And he seemed out of it, mind wandering elsewhere, as proved earlier that day on the mission when the kid almost lost his head. Instead of voicing his concern, he sighed and took another piece of pizza, leaning back in his chair once more. "What's wrong kid? Rather starve yourself than eat another slice of pizza?"

Nero paused halfway up the stairs to glare at him, "Fuck off, old man. If I'm not hungry, then I'm not hungry. And yeah, I'd rather eat something other than greasy takeout, so shoot me!" and then he stomped all the way up to his room and slammed the door.

_Well…at least the kid is still feisty_, Dante thought. _Can't be too serious._

After getting the door shut, Nero shuffled to his bed and sat on the edge of it, looking around the cramped space and sighing heavily, now having to find a way to sleep with not only the rotten taste in his mouth, but with his stomach burning and rolling. He hated the sickly full sensation he suddenly had, lying on his back and hoping that it would settle enough for him to get some sleep.

_The dream was just like before, his heart pounding in his head, his entire body throbbing, aching from top to bottom. He looked around, but couldn't see anything but that same darkness. He tried running, but his legs wouldn't hold him and he fell, barely able to catch himself with his hands, staring wide-eyed at the black ground, starting to tremble. A bone-deep chill fell over him and he shivered violently._

_Lifting his head, Nero tried once more to see in the darkness, tried calling out, but though his mouth moved, no sound emerged. He grabbed at his throat, wondering why it wouldn't work when suddenly that taste that had been plaguing him flooded his mouth and he gagged, trying to spit it out, going so far as to shove fingers into his mouth as if to wipe out the disgusting flavor._

_Heat suddenly broke through the chill over his body, centering in his abdomen. Nero released a silent scream as the heat turned to white-hot pain, stabbing through him until it felt as if something was ripping him apart from the inside, pressing a hand to his stomach only to feel something rippling and moving under the surface. _

_Leaning back on his knees, he stared down in horror as skin started to distend until it was as round as the strange demon's, the pain unbearable as he clawed at the stretched skin with his devil bringer, the blue talons raking across and drawing blood, causing whatever was inside to start thrashing in him more violently, only making the pain worse. He cried out silently for someone to help him, for anything to make it stop when, as he watched, a single point pushed out further on his stomach before it suddenly ruptured._

_But it didn't end there. He watched helplessly as two boney hands slipped out of the gaping hole that was once his abdomen, arms soon following and the top of a horned skull peeking out, empty eye sockets staring up at him as the skeleton's jaw clacked as if it were laughing at his pain._

Nero shot awake, eyes so wide they hurt, looking frantically all around the room, both hands pressed tightly against his intact middle, devil bringer flashing a frantic dark blue, mimicking his rapid heartbeat.

Realizing it was just another nightmare, he covered his face for a moment to try and wipe it out of his mind. Like before, this one had just felt so REAL. He'd been helpless, at the mercy of the unstoppable, immeasurable pain tearing through him.

He let out a shaking breath and made to get up to wash his face and hope the cold water could help get rid of the lingering vestiges of the dream, only to stop and wrap both arms around his midsection, mouth falling open in a silent gasp of the increase of pain rippling through him, the once burning ache now a full-blown fire searing at his insides.

Nero grit his teeth and tried to breathe through it, but it wasn't helping. The pain didn't dull.

_Shit…maybe I'm not as okay as I thought I was…

* * *

_**Yeah, I kind of copy/pasted the dream sequence since it's a recurring dream, but if you notice, I changed some of the wording so it isn't EXACT. Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Not that anyone really cares, but my penname is the two tattoos I have -thumbs up- And seriously, FFN and its formating tools can go to Hell._

**Warnings: **Disturbing imagery, bad language, possible mentions of gore, possible yaoi (though it'll be mild), and excessive use of metaphors and repetitive words (let's all break out our thesauruses, shall we?)

**Dedications: **I dedicate this entire fic (in all its suckiness) to Alvara19, Flowing Tears, Pushka, and now AmorBour as well. You're all amazing writers and I'm a happy fan of you all, in no way do I expect to be as good or better than you!

I suppose I _could_ mention Blood of Dusk as well. I mean...I AM a fan of you as well, after all. Hope you enjoyed the review spam.

Loves to all my other reviewers as well. You're all amazing and I'm eternally grateful for your support!

**Disclaimer: **Devil May Cry and its characters belong to Capcom, not me.

* * *

Chapter 4: Devour

* * *

Days passed since Nero's strange behavior began and Dante was fully admitting to himself that he was worried. Today he'd decided they should take a break, partly because he didn't feel like hunting, but mostly because Nero didn't even look like he could get up off the couch let alone fight demons. The kid had already sustained some injuries from his inability to concentrate. Those injuries had healed as they always did, but Dante wasn't going to risk Nero getting himself killed because his mind was wandering.

The half-devil had to wonder what exactly was wrong with the kid. From where he now sat at his desk, he could see Nero hunched over on the couch, arms wrapped around his middle and staring at the floor. Whenever he tried to engage the kid in conversation, he'd get nothing but attitude, though the younger hunter's temper seemed to be even shorter than usual and his replies were exceedingly more vulgar. Dante again had the thought that something could be seriously wrong, especially since as the days passed, Nero continued to refuse to eat. He hadn't seen him eat anything in almost a week, which would explain why the kid was getting so pale. Even Nero's devil bringer seemed to be reacting, the usually bright azure blue a dull, darker shade, almost black.

_Something's up with the kid for sure, but he still won't tell me what it is. Is he sick? What could make him sick for this long? Is it something to do with the kid's demon? _If it was, then why was his rapid demonic healing still working like normal? And he knew Nero hadn't lost his strength, he'd gotten punched enough times in the past couple days to attest to that.

So what was it? _Come on, kid, I know I'm an asshole, but you know you can trust me…tell me what's wrong._

While the older slayer was lost in thought across the room, Nero lowered his head further, eyes drooping. He didn't think at this point he could even describe how awful he felt. The pain in his stomach hadn't subsided, if anything it continued to grow with each passing hour until he almost couldn't stand to have anything touching it. The skin was hot to the touch at first, but now it was ice-cold. Any interest he might have had in food was completely washed away, such a thing not even entering his mind. Just the thought of consuming something before had made him run for the bathroom where he still was throwing up that awful black sludge.

The memory made him try once again, to no avail, to swallow back the gross taste still lingering, causing a shudder and he bit back a groan as the subtle movement aggravated the pain in his stomach, making it blossom like a starburst of searing, stabbing agony. Not eating was the least of his worries at this point. He couldn't concentrate on anything, his brain foggy and thoughts disjointed. The real world seemed to fade away, leaving him trapped in this dark, internal torture.

Much like the nightmare that repetitively plagued him every night, he was trapped in the darkness of his own pain, unable to call for help or stop it himself. Nero was also finding it close to impossible to sleep, the dreams waking him and the pain keeping him from settling enough to relax and find any measure of peace. Even now, sitting on the couch, eyes heavy and dry from sleep deprivation, he could see the images from that recurring nightmare. Darkness. Pain. Blood. That horned skull cackling madly at him, taking pleasure in tearing him apart.

Nero felt as if he was slowly dying and considering everything, he probably was. Everything hurt, he couldn't think, couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, and worst of all, he couldn't stop it. His own stubbornness kept him from asking for help, convincing him that there was nothing anyone could do. And really, what _could_ anyone do? He was helpless to stop whatever was happening, how could Dante come up with anything different?

_If this pain wants me to die, I wish it would just get it over with and kill me._ Nero thought in silent despair, hands releasing his aching middle and sliding up to cover his face, suddenly hit with the urge to cry. _I don't think I can take this anymore…please, someone make it stop._

The day passed agonizingly slow, with Nero huddled on the couch and not moving much and Dante trying without success to occupy himself and try to get Nero to talk. It seemed like the kid wasn't even listening to him anymore, no longer giving him scathing retorts or even cussing him out, like Nero had just lost the will to do anything but hold himself.

Dante finally got himself up and left the office after telling Nero he'd be back. The teen's eyes barely blinked in response, seemingly lost in his own world. He hated to leave the kid like this, but he'd decided that he had to try and get Nero to eat something, and he figured pizza probably wasn't going to cure this affliction, so he forced himself to go and find something that might actually be considered a 'healthy meal'.

Right…like the Son of Sparda knew what a healthy meal was.

Nevertheless, he was out until it grew dark, but made it back to the office in time for what he deemed was appropriate for dinner. His search had yielded very little, so he'd gotten desperate and bought soup. People had soup when they were sick, right? At least, the few times Lady caught a cold that's what she did, as far as Dante had observed. The thought of the devil huntress had his steps faltering as he went to the kitchen, his greeting going unheeded by the almost comatose teen on the couch. _I should probably prepare everything…she's going to be stopping by soon to collect since there've been so many jobs the past week._ He groaned at the thought and concentrated on just tonight. Mission Get Nero to Eat Something and Not Waste Away had officially commenced.

Though he had a feeling it would happen, Dante was still concerned when Nero refused the soup. The kid didn't speak his refusal so much as turned his head away like a fussy child and gave a half-hearted growl when Dante tried to force him, getting his fingers bit in the process.

"Alright, that's it, kid. I've had it." Dante set the untouched bowl of soup aside and sat on the low table in front of the couch, staring right into Nero's unfocused eyes, the blue even darker than usual, almost matching the midnight blue of his devil bringer that wasn't even really glowing anymore. "You've been like this all week and now you're almost mindless, tell me what's going on."

Nero's eyes suddenly focused on him before they turned away. "Nothing, old man. Leave me alone." The usual reply lacked the heat of temper, or even the strength of a normal tone. Weak and almost breathy, the words were laced with tension.

Dante frowned as he watched the kid shift uncomfortably where he'd been sitting nearly all day, the dark smudges under his eyes standing out even more, his skin seeming to pale more right before the devil hunter's watchful gaze. "That's bullshit and you know it, Nero. You haven't eaten in days, something's up. Just tell me already."

He would've refused again, but when Nero opened his mouth, all that emerged was a pain-filled gasp as he doubled over, arms tight at his sides because he couldn't stand to have them touching his sensitive stomach anymore. He swore he felt something moving around under his skin, but that could just be a delusion brought about by lack of sleep and constantly reliving his nightmares. His mind went blank for a moment as he fought to stay above the pain, but found he could hardly breathe, eyes tearing up even though he tried not to cry. His resolve was broken right then and there and his demonic hand suddenly shot out and gripped the front of Dante's shirt with strength he didn't know he still had.

"Make it stop…please," he begged, the tears finally coming free. "I can't take it anymore," Dante had to lean in closer to hear the strained words that were barely above a whisper. "Something's wrong…ever since…that ugly demon…it _hurts."_

Dante gripped Nero's wrist and tried to understand what he was saying. "What hurts, kid? What's going on? I can't help if you don't tell me."

Nero kept trying to explain. Explain the unrelenting pain in his stomach, the horrible taste in his mouth that even now was only growing worse until he couldn't take a breath without tasting it, the haunting nightmares…he wasn't even sure he made any sense, all of the words sounding like incoherent babbling to him.

"Shit, kid, why didn't you say anything sooner?" Dante asked, trying to get Nero to sit up straight so he could get a look at his stomach, only to have the Nero fall against him and start retching, whole body heaving before the kid threw up in his lap. He pushed Nero back only for both of them to look down at the thick black substance that had suddenly become the norm for the younger slayer.

Dante took one look and felt his heart stop, barely catching Nero as another sharp burst of pain made the younger faint.

* * *

**Another cliffhanger. Hope you liked. Please review**


	5. Chapter 5

_Oh your monotheolistic religious icon! I am so tired of FFN's formating. -shakes head-_

**A/N: **What the...second to last chapter already? Yep. I figured I'd left you guys hanging enough. Thankfully, this chapter doesn't end with a cliffhanger, which gives me a couple days to sit on the final chapter...not that I need to or anything...it's already written...Leave you all to absorb it, that's the ticket!

**Dedications: **This fic is _still_ dedicated to: Alvara19, Flowing Tears, Pushka, AmorBour, Blood of Dusk and SirenaLoreley (because you review every chapter, special person you). All amazing people. All in my awesome book. Have a hug.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Devil May Cry or its characters. They belong to Capcom.

**Warnings: **Disturbing imagery, bad language, mild gore, mild yaoi (here's the chapter where you get that tiiiiny bit I put in this story), repetitive word use

Thank you so much all of you who reviewed. I know this was put up fast, but the story begged to be finished. A thousand thank-yous for you all. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5: Hurt

* * *

After Nero had fallen unconscious, Dante sat helpless, unsure what his first action should be. Eventually he gathered his stunned thoughts enough to get to his feet and easily lifted Nero in his arms. A position that, had the teen been awake, would've been embarrassing for the younger hunter. The devil hunter carried him up the stairs and to his room, carefully settling Nero in his bed, and watched as he twisted uncomfortably even in his sleep. Immediately, Dante felt a stab somewhere in his chest. All this time he'd thought the kid was just being his usual, stubborn and annoying self and Nero had been suffering.

_Didn't I tell him when he came to stay here that I wouldn't let anything happen to him? Okay, maybe I didn't say it out loud…but I was thinking it._ The older man sighed and shook his head at his thoughts, tucking Nero in though the restless hunter just kicked the blankets back off, and went to go change his soiled clothes. He paused in the act of tossing his pants aside to sniff at the black now smeared over the front, wrinkling his nose at the smell of decay and old blood. He'd been expecting the typical smell of vomit, but this was…rank.

Even more concerned than he'd been before, Dante tossed his pants and pulled on clean ones before he left his room, hesitating in the hallway as he considered his options. Nero was sick, something caused by the odd demon they'd come across in that warehouse a week or so ago. Meaning he could be, most likely was, cursed in some way. Curses weren't his specialty, but thankfully he did know someone more knowledgeable in that area.

Dante was down the stairs and reaching for his phone without another thought. He'd barely lifted the receiver to his ear when the front doors were thrown open, slamming into the walls. Looking up from dialing, the half-devil couldn't have ever thought he'd say it, but he was relieved and happy to see Lady standing in the open doorway, hands on her hips, Kalina Ann resting on the woman's back as usual.

"Hey you lazy ass," she greeted too sweetly, tipping her sunglasses down and peering at him with her mismatched eyes. It wasn't even sunny outside, but then, Dante had a feeling she wore those shades more to hide her eyes and the scar that stretched over the top of her nose.

"Trish with you?" Dante asked without any bullshit. This was a serious matter.

Lady raised an eyebrow at him as she walked into the devil hunting office, readjusting the strap to her rocket launcher. "No, she isn't. Don't change the subject, you know why I'm here. Just hand it over so I can shoot you and go home. I need a shower."

Waving his hand dismissively, Dante turned back to the phone, only to jerk his hand back, barely avoiding the bullet that had been aimed for it. "Look, I don't have time to fuck around with you, Lady. You want money? Go make some yourself." He growled, glaring at her over his shoulder.

Hardly bothered by his outburst, Lady simply tapped the barrel of her gun on her shoulder. "Right, because your time is just _so_ valuable." She lowered her arm and looked around the otherwise empty, quiet office. "Hey, where's Nero?" Usually the younger hunter was lurking on the couch whenever Lady came to visit. Mostly just to watch Dante get his ass handed to him by a girl.

"He's upstairs unconscious. And if you'd get the fuck out of here and let me get a hold of Trish, I can have her help me figure out what's wrong with him."

"Something's wrong with Nero? Did he get hurt?" Lady asked curiously, tilting her head.

Dante glared at her again. "We came across a weird demon a while back. I think it cursed him somehow. That's why I need Trish's help, not your bitchy attitude."

The devil huntress just tilted her head to the other side, eyebrow going up once more. She would've shot Dante for his rude words, but something about him…maybe the way he was so tense, his words so hurried and lacking their usual teasing edge…gave away that he was worried. Most likely about Nero. So it was really that serious?

"I'll go find her for you." She offered without thinking.

That made Dante turn to look at her in a mixture of annoyance and confusion, still gripping the phone he had yet to dial. "You'll what?"

"Only because it'll get you to calm down and pay me. And don't think I'm doing you a favor, this is strictly to be sure I get what's owed to me." Lady pushed her sunglasses back up before turning for the door. "Besides, why would I want Nero to suffer? He's just a kid, not a lazy, cheap bastard like you."

He wasn't even going to argue with her there, just oddly grateful that Lady was going to help him find Trish. "Just hurry up. He's already been sick for a week and it's getting worse."

"Yeah, yeah," She sighed, waving him off as she grabbed the doors, slowly closing them behind her. "Just call Trish and try to get a hold of her, I'll check the area for her."

Once Lady left, Dante finally remembered that he was still holding the phone and quickly called Trish. The sense of calm relief that Lady's short visit had given him was washed away when she didn't answer, meaning she was probably out in the city somewhere hunting, which meant it was going to take a while to find her.

"Damn it," he bit out, slamming the phone back down on its cradle and glaring at it for good measure before running both hands through his hair. Letting out a held breath, Dante looked up at the ceiling, at roughly the same spot where Nero was in his room, concern filling him once more.

He was going to have to wait for help.

He hated waiting.

* * *

"I heard you were looking for me." Was Trish's greeting, her eyes widening once she got a look at Nero still twisting around in Dante's bed. The famed devil hunter himself was sitting next to him, trying to keep the kid from falling off the bed or hurting himself. Somewhere in the time it had taken Lady to find and send Trish over, Nero had broken out into a cold sweat and kept trying to claw his stomach open, the talons of his devil bringer already stained red from the near success. "Now I see what the rush was about."

Dante tried not to glare at her, instead occupying himself with trying to keep Nero still. Which was proving difficult. "Yeah, a demon we faced a week ago got a hold of him. I think it's a curse, but I can't be sure. That's your specialty, not mine."

Trish hummed thoughtfully as she walked further into Dante's room, leaning over the bed to try and get a look at the teen as Dante explained what little he'd gathered from Nero earlier that day. Nero was paler than ever, dark smudges around his eyes, cheeks sunken in, lips stained black from still vomiting though he seemed to still be unconscious, or in a state of delirium, Dante wasn't certain which. "It's demonic, that's for sure," she concluded, wrinkling her nose. "But I'm not positive that it's a curse." She flipped her blonde hair back as she stood straight once more.

"Then what the hell is wrong with him?" Dante snapped, gripping the kid's wrists and holding them away from the weakly writhing body, a soft pained sound escaping him on occasion.

"He looks sick to me." Trish snapped right back, crossing her arms. "I understand that you're worried about him, Dante, but try not to be a total prick about it. Some of his symptoms sound familiar, but I can't pinpoint a single cause. I'll go read up and see what I can find. I'll only be gone a day, two at most." Because at the rate Nero was deteriorating, she wasn't sure he'd live much longer.

Dante let out a tired breath, lowering his head a bit. "More waiting."

"I know you hate it, and this is the worst kind of thing to have to sit on, but we can't help him if we don't know what's wrong. I'll be back in a day or two, just stay with him until then. We'll figure this out." She promised, voice low and as gentle as she could make it. Sometimes, she really did remind Dante of his mother with the way she was always staying level-headed and keeping him from overreacting.

"Just hurry up." He finally said, turning his full attention back to Nero. He barely heard Trish's heels clicking on the floor as she turned to leave the room and head back downstairs to leave, too focused on the younger hunter. "C'mon, kid, calm down." He said quietly, letting go of Nero's human hand to reach up and pet sweat-dampened hair. The gentle, repetitive motion seemed to calm him and Dante felt his chest tighten when Nero slowly stopped moving and nuzzled into his palm, that same heart-wrenching whimper coming from him before he settled finally, breaths quick and shallow.

"Hang in there, Nero." _Please,_ he added silently.

* * *

Nero's first attempt to open his eyes failed miserably, the faint light in the room making them burn. His head was pounding and it hurt just to breathe. Shifting slightly sent pain shooting straight to his middle, making him want to double over and puke until he finally died. He gave up on trying to sit up or find where he was, letting his eyes stay closed and just trying to breathe evenly. He wanted to scream, rip at his stomach until whatever was in him that hurt so badly was out, just wanted it all to stop, but he was too weak to do anything. He was too weak to care about any of it anymore.

Tears burned his eyes further at the thought, breath hitching when he felt a large hand stroking his hair.

"You awake, kid?"

He forced his eyes to open, seeing a blurry figure that vaguely resembled Dante. The hand stilled in his hair as the older hunter leaned closer, bringing his face more into focus, giving Nero something to concentrate on when his mind wanted to shut off. Wanted to give in. "Dante…?" he wasn't even sure if he said the man's name aloud or if he'd only thought it. His lips moved, but he didn't hear his own voice.

"Hey," he'd never heard Dante speak so gently…it eased the pounding in his head. Much like those pale blue eyes kept his mind grounded and not wandering into horrifying images of his nightmares. Like how that hand had resumed stroking his hair and it made the pain fade away enough that he didn't quite feel as if he was going insane from it. He took in a deeper breath, wincing as the movement strained his aching stomach. But with that one breath he knew where he was. Everything around him smelled of Dante. That scent, spicy and warm with the inevitable side of pizza and male demon, made him relax some.

"You've been out of it for almost a whole day." Dante spoke again after Nero closed his eyes, too tired to keep them open. "Trish is gonna stop by soon and help us fix you. Really messed up this time, didn't ya?"

The elder's teasing made Nero want to smile, but all he could manage was a groan as he nuzzled into the soft pillow under his cheek. Lying on his side was the only way he could be even remotely comfortable, but it left him facing the other slayer where Dante sat beside the bed, so it worked to his advantage.

"It's probably stupid to ask, but are you hungry at all?"

That _was_ stupid to ask. Nero snorted at the question and managed to get one eye open again to send Dante a dark look. Little did he know that it looked more pleading and pain-filled than like the glare he'd intended. He let the eye close once more when Dante continued to pet his hair.

"Right, right, I'm an idiot. How about water? You thirsty?"

He was, but Nero could hardly move, how was he supposed to sit up and drink? He tried to shake his head, ending up just rubbing his face into the pillow. He was embarrassed at the pathetic little whimper that escaped when Dante took his hand away and turned from the bed.

"I'll be right back, kid, I promise." Warm lips pressed against his forehead and Nero's eyes shot open.

But just as suddenly as they'd touched his skin, they were gone and he watched as Dante left the room.

Somehow, in spite of his crippling, painful illness…Nero managed to blush.

* * *

**Please keep reviewing!**


	6. Chapter 6

_I was going to sit on this final chapter, but I'm finding it distracting from other writing projects to have this hanging open when it's been finished in its entirety for days already._

**A/N:** I just had my weekly call from my mother. Who proceeded to say she wanted to speak to me about 'stuff' and then called me a 'crabby shit shit crap' because I'm a master at arguing, lol!

**Dedications: **This fic is _still_ dedicated to: Alvara19, Flowing Tears, Pushka, AmorBour, Blood of Dusk and SirenaLoreley (because you review every chapter, special person you). All amazing people. All in my awesome book. Have a hug.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Devil May Cry or its characters. They belong to Capcom.

**Warnings: **Some gore, some language, probably a slew of inappropriate facial gestures and a bad ending.

Forever thanks to all of you who have reviewed and enjoyed this story. Because of you all, I managed to belt out this entire story faster than I've ever written anything in my life. Kudos and love to you all. Enjoy the final chapter, perhaps?

* * *

Chapter 6: Relief

* * *

Dante was on his way out of the kitchen with a glass of water for Nero when the doors opened. He looked over to them hopefully and for once he wasn't disappointed. He went to meet Trish halfway as she came into the office. "Please tell me you found a way to help him."

Trish looked him over. Dante was a mess, though she supposed that was to be expected. The instant Nero had moved in, the older half-devil had become incredibly protective of him. "I did." She replied, lifting up her arm, an ornate orb filled with water resting in her palm, a pale glow from the clear liquid shining on her skin.

"Holy water? That's it?" he said in disbelief.

"Nero isn't cursed…not in the practical sense of the word anyway. The demon you guys ran into was probably just some poor schmuck who got infected like Nero. It's a parasite. A low-level demon feeding off his insides. The only reason he hasn't turned into what you saw is because it hasn't killed him. His demonic healing is keeping him alive longer than any human would survive the parasite. When you killed its last host, it must've released some spores in the hopes it could find a new one." She explained calmly, looking to the glass of water Dante was holding. "Holy water should be enough to kill it. Since he was going to drink anyways, just give him this."

Dante frowned slightly as he took the orb of water from her and looked up the stairs. "That simple?"

"There's no telling how the parasite will react to being drenched in holy water. But since anything he ingests is absorbed by it, yes. It's that simple." Trish shrugged lightly. "Want me to stick around in case something happens?"

He grunted at her offer, already heading back to the kitchen to dump out the tap water and refilled the glass with the holy water. He picked it back up and went straight for the stairs, aware that Trish was following behind him, probably curious as to what would happen, maybe a bit worried for Nero herself, he didn't know, nor did he care at that moment. He had a possible cure for the kid in his hand right here. The thought of Nero not having to suffer this anymore was enough to convince him.

Dante entered his bedroom again, seeing Nero was back to shifting uncomfortably, but dull blue eyes opened and focused on him, which was a good sign he hoped. Though the desperate look in them made his heart ache and his devil side growl for him to hurry up and give him the holy water and make him better.

"Here, kid," He sat on the edge of the bed to help Nero lift his head to drink the water. "Trish brought some holy water. She thinks it's going to be enough to make you feel better, so try to drink all of it." He explained softly while Nero nodded weakly and sipped at the water.

About halfway through the glass, Nero felt his stomach clench and he tried to push it away, but Dante forced the rest of it down quickly, making the younger hunter choke a bit and start coughing.

"Sorry, but you needed all of it."

Nero would've glared, but was distracted by the heat centering in his stomach, just like in his nightmare. Eyes wide, he stared down at the bandages on his middle that were covering the claw-marks he didn't remember making on himself. The whole world seemed to recede as the pain came roaring back, stronger than before, the taste in his mouth getting unbearable as his lips parted in a silent scream. The skin over his stomach started to stretch and something under the surface started wriggling around. Horrified, he couldn't look away.

It was all happening, just like his dream.

Dante barely caught Nero as the teen suddenly turned red eyes on him and growled, lunging as if to rip out his throat, the parasite in him apparently reacting adversely to the holy water, causing Nero to trigger in a desperate attempt to escape the pain. He struggled to restrain the younger man as Nero bit and clawed at him, filling the room with agonized howls. Just when he thought Nero would break free, Trish stepped in and helped him hold the kid down, the two managing to keep him down.

After a painfully long minute, Nero stilled as if he'd lost all his strength, going limp. Warily, Trish leaned back, Dante still hovering over the younger part-devil, though his grip relaxed a bit.

"Kid…?"

Nero shot upright suddenly, claws digging into Dante's shoulders as he screamed, blood exploding over the blankets and Dante's shirt as the younger's stomach ruptured, a wriggling black mass falling out and rolling to the floor.

Unconscious once more, Nero fell back onto the bed, Dante quickly pressing his hands to the gaping hole in his stomach in an attempt to stop the bleeding, glancing to the floor where Trish had a heeled boot planted firmly on the wriggling parasite's back. The little black demon was roughly two feet long, several rows of legs clacking against the floor as it tried to get free, tooth-ringed mouth snapping at the air.

They barely stared at it longer than a second before Trish obligingly shot it to pieces, the demon dying with a shriek.

* * *

Days passed like years as Dante did everything he could, with Trish's help, to keep Nero from bleeding out while his weakened body tried to heal itself. Though the parasite was gone and dead, the damage it had done was immense.

But eventually, the bleeding slowed, the once darkened devil bringer flickering a bright white-blue, a sign that Nero's demon side was working hard to heal. And so far it was making steady progress. Though it was slow and agonizing to watch over the kid in such a vulnerable state, so close to death, Dante couldn't have left the room if he wanted.

When Nero finally started to stir, Dante wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not, but a quiet groan from the younger man convinced him that much more that it was real.

Nero groaned again as he turned his head to the side, his headache dulled to a faint annoyance rather than a full blown pounding. He didn't recall any dreams he might've had, bad or otherwise, so there were no images there to haunt him. He felt relatively rested. But for all of that, his body hurt more than ever and his stomach was stiff and breathing still hurt. He wanted to cry as he realized that the holy water hadn't worked.

"You're up. It's about time, kid, I was about to bury you." Dante said, not even bothering to hide the relief in his voice as Nero blinked open his eyes and looked over at him from where he was lying on his back. Those blue eyes were no longer dull and darkened with despair, though Nero was still pale and looked to be on his death bed.

"It…didn't work?" Nero managed to rasp, voice hoarse and his throat was sore.

"Of course it did." Dante replied with a scoff, as if it was ridiculous to think otherwise, leaning over Nero's prone form, pulling back the blankets to check the bloody bandages on his middle. "Hm…looks like it's almost all closed. That's good. How're you feeling kid?"

"It worked?" He mumbled, lifting his human hand up to press it against his forehead, staring up at the ceiling before looking down to his stomach, seeing that beneath the bandages, there was a star-shaped red, raised wound. It looked fresh and raw, but it wasn't bleeding anymore. Though judging by what was on the gauze that had covered it, it had been. Excessively. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Pale blue eyes lifted up to him again as Dante let the wound air out a bit. When Nero slowly shook his head, then groaned when it made his lingering headache worse, the older sat up straighter and cleared his throat. "Well, we gave you the holy water and then you went apeshit. Triggered on us and tried to tear everything apart. I guess it hurt too much and your demon side didn't want to take it lying down anymore."

Nero stared at him blankly as he listened, honestly not remembering any of that. "I did?"

"Yep. And then that parasite that was in you ripped itself out and Trish shot it. Then we just had to worry about you bleeding out, since it ripped open your stomach."

"Parasite?"

"Right, the thing we killed a week ago? That was a parasite infected person that turned demonic after the parasite had killed it and reanimated its body."

Nero's eyebrows rose at that as he dropped his hand. "Really? So it infected me?"

Dante shrugged. "Well, demons will usually do anything to survive. Since we were there to kill it, it was probably just waiting for one of us to get close enough for it to transfer to a new host." He smirked. "Guess that stupid asshole was you."

The kid growled half-heartedly and weakly punched at Dante's arm, ignoring how the movement aggravated his wound.

"So…it's really gone?" Nero asked quietly after a moment.

The older hunter nodded slowly. "Yeah. It's gone. A couple more days and you'll be good as new." He assured, gently tucking the blankets back in around Nero's waist, leaving his ragged stomach exposed before reaching for the glass of water waiting on the nightstand. "Thirsty?"

Nero practically ripped off Dante's hand grabbing the glass to gulp down the water, eyes widening in surprised relief when he realized that the bad taste that had been lingering in his mouth was finally washed away and he sighed happily.

"I guess you were." Dante chuckled, helping Nero prop himself up on the pillows before tiredly climbing into the bed with him, much to the kid's displeasure.

"What are you doing?" Nero demanded.

Dante smirked as he pressed against the younger man's side. "Hey, you're in _my_ bed, kid. I just spent the past three days watching you, I think I've earned a nap."

Nero shifted around as Dante cuddled against him and looked up at the ceiling as if praying for some intervention. When none came, he finally gave in and stopped arguing, taking a slow look around the room and only now realizing how filthy it was. "Lazy ass." He muttered, stifling a yawn though he let his eyes fall closed with a sigh. Dante was warm, the spicy scent of him wrapping Nero up and making him relax to the point where he fell back asleep without incident.

He barely slept for an hour before waking again, a hauntingly familiar gnawing sensation in his gut, but this time not painful. Nero rubbed at his eyes tiredly and tried to sit up, failing when his weakened body protested any movement. He looked over at the lump curled up next to him, absently placing his demonic hand on silver-white hair.

When Dante started snoring, he nudged at the older man. "Hey. Hey old man, wake up!" he shook Dante harder, getting no response. Finally, Nero shoved him off the bed.

Falling with a loud thump, Dante immediately sat up and glared at Nero over the edge of the bed. "What was that for?"

"I'm hungry." Nero complained.

"So? Go eat." The half-devil grumbled.

"I can't even sit up on my own, old man."

Dante heaved a sigh before getting to his feet. "Fine. I'll get you some soup or something." Though he groused about it, he was so relieved that Nero was actually hungry and was clearly feeling much better that his knees almost gave out.

He made it out into the hallway before Nero called him back in.

"What?"

"I want pizza."

Dante couldn't have stopped the grin that spread across his face if he tried. "Ha, I knew you secretly loved it as much as me."

Nero just flipped him off. "Screw you, old man."

* * *

**So things shall continue as if Nero didn't have a parasite baby. The world keeps turning and pizza is still eaten (though we all know that there's no way Nero is going to REALLY eat pizza after starving for so long and then going through that...or maybe he will, who knows?)**

**Thanks again to my readers and reviewers. I'll hopefully see you all soon with the current oneshot I'm working on -salutes-**


End file.
